Driving mechanism for vehicles.



Patant ed May 7, 19m.

F. B. STEABNS.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

(Application filed Sept..19, 1900.)

4 ShaetsSheat I.

(No Model.)

Inve 71/230 7", Frank B. SZear-ns, Z:

No. 673,739. Patented May 7, !90I.

F. B. STEARNS.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES. (Application filed Sept. 19, 1900.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheat 2.

I I I Wtinesses, lizyenior;

1': 240mm mans cc mum-Limo" wumum'nu. g. c.

No. 673,739. Patented May 7, mm.-

P. B. STEARNS.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

(Applieption filed 19, 1900.)

' 4 Shuots--Shoat 3.

(No Model.) I

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No. 673,739. Patented May 7, I90I. F. B. STEARNS.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLES.

7 (Application filed'sepfi. 19, 1900.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4,

WITNfi/lSfES; [.(VVENTOR.

' Fmnic 3. 55660926,

A ITTO'RN f UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

FRANK B. STEARNS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

DRIVING MECHANISM .FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,739, dated May 7, 1901.

Application filed September 19, 1900- Serial No. 30,502. (No modell To all whmn it WMJ/Z/ concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. STEARNS, a

citizen of the United States,residing at Cleve-- land, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for transmitting power from the generator or source of power to the mechanism to be driven, and is especially applicable to motor or automobile vehicles. It is not concerned with the character of the source of power, which may be an engine or motor of any type capable of revolving a shaft, but has for one object the improvement of the means for cont-rolling and regulating the application of power derived from a rotating shaft, however such shaft may be driven. It provides a simple and compact transmission -gear, which may be mounted upon the engine-shaft and controlled by handlevers,whereby the mechanism to be driven such as the traction-wheels of a vehicle-may be started, driven at difierent rates of speed, reversed, or stopped without changing the motion of the engine and without shock.

Further objects of the invention are the provision of means through which the gearing may be cont-rolled and appliances adapting it for use in a motor-vehicle, together with such minor objects as will become apparent and be set forth in the claims.

To these ends my invention consists in certain novel features, arrangements, and combinations hereinafter described and claimed, an embodiment thereof as applied to a motorvehicle being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure I is a plan view, and Fig. II is a side elevation, of the body of a motor vehicle, broken away in part to show the driving-gear. Fig. III is a plan view, partly in section, of the engine-shaft, transmission-gear, and operating mechanism. Fig. 1V is a section on line 1V IV, and Fig. Vis a section on line VV of Fig. III. Fig. VI is an end view of the highspeed clutch.

The reference-letter a represents the body of a motor-vehicle with a seat at b. A frame, preferably resting upon springs, supports the body with the greater portion of the mechan:

ism and consists of side railsc end at, end rails, as at e, and a cross-rail at f; The drivingaxle g carries the two rear wheels of the vehicle and is provided with the usual compensating gear at 71. A small counter-shaft i, journaled in the compensating-gear case and provided with a pinion meshing with said compensating gear, carries on one end. a sprocket-wheel Upon the other end of the shaft '5 is a brake-wheel 7c, against which suitable brake-shoes are arranged to bear when drawn together by the lever t, operated through the rod m and a convenient foot-lever in front of the seat. I

The front axle and steering mechanism may be of any style suitable to the vehicle; but struts 'n, joining the front and rear axles, and a brace rod 0, joining the compensating-gear case with the front axle, should be provided.

A motorp is seen red to one side of the bodyframe in such a position that its main shaft (1 extends across the vehicle parallel to the rear axle. Said motor is herein shown as a gasolene-engine; but any motor fitted to the service required of it may be employed. A fly-wheel r is shown on the motor-shaft, and the outboard end of said shaft is supported by a pedestal s, resting upon the body-frame. V Mounted loosely upon the engine-shaft is a clutch ring or drum t, to which is securely fastened a sprocket-wheel u and a spur gearwheel '0. A sprocket-chain wserves to transmit power from the said "wheel 11. to the sprocket-wheelj. Encircling the drum t and set with a tendency to spring outward is a friction-band :20, having each of its ends attached to lever-arms, as shown at y, Figs. III and VI. Said lever-arms are fulcrumed to a sleeve 2, keyed to the shaft, and, extending inwardly upon opposite sides of the shaft, are provided with rollers to engage the sliding cone 1. A frame 2 is supported upon the body-frame in front of the engine-shaft, and the outboard-bearing .9 may be cast integral with said frame, as shown. An elbow-lever 3, fulcrumed to said frame at 4, is provided with a forked end having pins to engage acircumferential groove in the cone 1, whereby said cone may be forced between the clutcharms to tighten the friction-band about the drum t, in which position the rollers on the clutch-arms rest against the straight part 5 of the cone, thus having no tendency to release until the cone is moved outward by the elbow-lever. Journaled in suitable bearings upon the front end of frame 2 is a rock-shaft 6, carrying upon one end an arm 7, which is connected by a rod 8 with the elbow-lever. Upon the other end of said rock-shaft is an arm 9, connected by the rod 11 with the operating hand-lever 10. v

It will now be readily understood that by a pull backward upon the hand-lever 10 the high-speed clutch above described will be tightened, thus compelling the sprocketwheel to to revolve with the shaft and drive the vehicle forward at its highest speed.

I will now proceed to describe the differential slow-speed and reversing gear, which is arranged in compact form upon the engineshaft between the sprocket-wheel and the outboard-bearing. Mounted loosely upon the main shaft adjacent to the gear-wheel v is a disk 12, provided with a peripheral frictionring, a balance-weight 13, and a bearing-plate. 14, bolted thereto. Keyed to the main shaft, between said disk and bearing-plate,is a spurtoothed pinion 15, engaging with a toothed wheel 16, which wheel is rigidly keyed to an auxiliary parallel shaft 17, jou rnaled in bearings in the aforesaid diskand bearing-plate. A pinion 18, engaging with the spur-wheel o, is keyed to the inner end of the shaft 17. It will now be obvious to any one skilled in the art that if the disk 12 be held stationary, the high-speed clutch being released, the rotating main shaft will drive the sprocket-wheel u in the same direction, but at aslowerspeed through the train'of gears 15, 16, 18, and 7), thereby propelling the vehicle forward slowly. A friction-brake is provided for holding the said disk, consisting of friction-bands 19 and 20, Figs. IIIandV,encircling, respectively,the upper and lower halves of the friction-ring on the disk and both hinged to a bracket 21, pro jecting inward from the side rail 0 of the bodyframe. The forward ends of said bands are hinged, respectively, to the shorter arms of levers 22 and 23, fulcrnmed between lugs projecting above the rear end of frame 2. The longer ends of said levers are operated by adjustable rods 24 and 25, hinged thereto and forming a toggle-joint with the thrnst-rod 26. Upon the rock-shaft 6 is an arm 27, hinged to the rod 26, and adjacent to said arm is an upright arm 28, connected by the rod 29 with the operating han d-lever 30. These two arms 27 and 28 work loosely upon the shaft, but are fastened rigidly together, preferably by both being keyed to the outside of a sleeve encircling the shaft, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. III. Thus by moving the handlever 30 backward the friction-brake will be tightened about the disk 12 and the Vehicle will run forward at slow speed.

Arranged to run loosely upon the main shaft between the disk 12 and the outboard-bearing is a spur-wheel 31, to which is rigidly bolted or otherwise attached a friction-ring the mechanism above described for the friction-disk 12, are provided, as plainly shown in Figs. I, II, III, and IV. The forward end of the rod 38 is hinged to an arm 39, depending from the rock-shaft 6. Therefore when the hand-lever 10 is moved forward the high-speed clutch is first released, and then a further movement of the said lever tightens the friction-bands about the ring 32, thereby holding the gear-wheel 31 stationary. Thus the shaft 17, rotated by the gears 01 and 16, is, together with the disk 12, forced to revolve about the main shaft in the direction contrary to the revolution of the latter, and the pinion 18, being smaller in diameter than the pinion 33, will in its revolution about the main shaft pull the periphery of the gear-wheel U with it part way, thus rotating the sprocket-wheel u in the direction of the revolution of the shaft 17 about the main shaft, and consequently driving the Vehicle backward.

While the sprocket-wheels and chain are preferred in motor-vehicles, it is evident that other means, such as a belt and pulleys or gearwheels, may be substituted therefor to transmit the power from the main shaft without departing from the spirit of my invention. Other modes of applying the principles of the mechanism maybe substituted for the modes herein explained. Change may therefore be made in the details of the mechanism disclosed, provided the principles of construction set forth, respectively, in the following claims are employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my-invention 1. Adriving and reversing mechanism consisting of the combination, with a rotatable main shaft, of a disk mounted loosely upon said shaft having a friction-brake thereon, a parallel auxiliary shaft suitably journaled in said disk and three toothed gear-Wheels secured thereon, a pinion keyed to the main shaft and engaging with the middle wheel of said auxiliary shaft, a pinion mounted loosely upon the main shaft engaging one of the end wheels of the auxiliary shaft, a friction-brake secured to said loose pinion, and a toothed wheel of larger diameter than the last-named pinion arranged to run loosely upon the main shaft, to engage with the smaller of the end wheels of the auxiliary shaft and to transmit power to other mechanism, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a driven main shaft, of a disk provided with a friction-ring mounted loosely upon said main shaft, a parallel auxiliary shaft suitablyjournaled in said disk and having three gear-wheels fixed thereon, a pinion secured upon the main shaft and meshing with the middle Wheel of said auxiliary shaft, a pinion loose upon the main shaft meshing with one of the end Wheels of the auxiliary shaft and having a friction-ring similar to that aforesaid attached thereto, a gear-wheel of larger diameter than the lastnamed pinion mount-ed loosely upon the mainshaft, meshing with the smaller end wheel of the auxiliary shaft and arranged to transmit power to other mechanism, suitable brakebands encircling the said friction-rings, and means for operating said bands, substantially as set forth.

A driving and reversing mechanism consisting of the combination, with a main shaft, of two peripheral friction-brake drums adjacent to each other mounted loosely thereon, suitable friction-bands for said drums with means for operating the same, a shaft having two pinions and a gear-wheel secured thereon jonrnaled in one of said drums parallel to the main shaft, a gear-wheel loose upon the mainshaft secured to the other drum and engaging the larger pinion of said parallel shaft, a driving-pinion fixed upon the main shaft engaging the gear-wheel of said parallel shaft, and a gear-wheel loose upon the main shaft engaging the smaller pinion of the parallel shaft and provided with means for transmitting power to other mechanism, substantially as set forth.

4. Adriving and reversing mechanism comprisinga main shaft, two friction-brake drums 12 and 32, adjacent to each other mounted loosely thereon; suitable friction-bands for said drums with means for tightening and releasing the same; a bearing-plate 14, secured to drum 12; a sha1't1'7,journaled in drum 12,

and bearing-platen, parallel tothe main.

shaft and having gear-wheels 16, 18 and33, secured thereon, the Wheel 18, being of smaller diameter than the wheel 33; a gearwheel 31, loose upon the main shaft secured to drum 32, and engaging with the wheel 33; a 'pinion 15, fixed upon the main shaft engaging with the wheel 16; and a gear-wheel'vdoose upon the main shaft engaging the wheel 18, and provided with means such as the wheel 'Lt,'for transmitting power to other mechanism, snbst-antially as set forth.

5. In a power-transmitting mechanism the combination, ofv a rotatable main shaft, a slow-speed and reversing mechanism thereon comprising two friction-brake drums adjacent to each other, each provided with a suitable friction-band and mechanism for driving a gear-wheelp, substantially as described, a high-speedfriction-clutch mounted on said main shaft, and provided with means for transmitting power to other mechanism, a gear-wheel o, secured to the loose member of said clutch, and means for operatingthe said high-speed clutch, the slow-speed brake-band and the reversing brake-band independently of each other and of the rotation of said main shaft, substantially as set forth.

6. In a power-transmitting mechanism the combination, with a main shaft, and a slowspeed driving and reversing mechanism thereon substantially as described operating a gear-wheel i), of a high-speed friction-clutch drum loose upon said main shaft, and the Wheel 1), and means such as a wheel it, for transmitting power to other mechanism secured thereto; afriction-band encircling said drum, a sleeve secured to the main shaft having fulcrumed thereto two lever-arms with their outer ends hinged to the respective ends of said band, a sliding cone adapted to be forced between the inner ends of said leverarms to tighten the band about said drum, and means for operating said cone, substantially as set forth.

7. In a power-transn'iitting mechanism the combination, with a rotatable main shaft, of a slow-speed and reversing mechanism thereon comprising two friction-brake drums adjacent to each other and provided With mechanism for driving a gear-Wheel U, substantially as described, suitable friction-bands for said drums hinged at their rear ends to a stationary bracket, a pair of lever-arms for each drumfulcrumed one above the other to a stationary frame in front of said drums and havingtlieir rear ends hinged respectively to said bands and their front ends hinged to adjustable rods, a thrust-rod forming a togglejoint with each pair of said adjustable rods, and means for operating saidthrust-rods, substantially as setforth.

8. In a power-transmitting mechanism the combination, with a rotatable main shaft, of a slow-speed and reversing mechanism there on comprising two friction-brake drums adjacent to each other and provided with mechanism for driving a gear-wheel o, substantially as described, suitable friction-bands for said drums, a pair of lever-arms for each drum fulcrumed one above the other to a stationary frame in front of said drums and hav-- ing their rear ends hinged respectively to said bands and adjustable rods hinged to their 'front ends, a thrust-rod forming a toggle-joint with each pair of said adjustable rods, a highspeed friction-clutch mounted on said main shaft, and provided with means for transmitting power to other mechanism, a gearwheel 12, secured to the loose member of said clutch, and means for operating said highspeed clutch and the said thrust-rods, sub

front ends, a thrust-rod forminga toggle-joint With each pair of said adjustable rods, ahighspeed friction-clutch mounted on said main shaft, and provided with means for transmitting power to other mechanism, a gearwheel 12, secured to the loose member of said clutch, aslidiug cone on the main shaft adapted to engage the tightening mechanism of said clutch, a forked elbow-lever fulcru med to said stationary frame with its forked end engaging said cone and a connectingrod hinged to its other end, a rock-shaft journaled on said frame carrying suitable arms hinged respectively to said thrust-rods and connecting-rod, and operating hand-levers connected respectively to arms mounted upon said rock-shaft, substantially as set forth.

10. In a driving mechanism for vehicles the combination, with a main shaft rotated by a suitable motor supported upon the bodyframe of the vehicle, of two friction-brake drums loose on said main shaft adjacent to each other and provided with a differential slow-speed and reversing mechanism substantially as described for driving a gearwheel '0, a suitable friction-band for each of said drums, a friction-clutch for high speed mounted on said main shaft, and provided with means such as a sprocket-wheel and chain for transmitting power through suitable, mechanism to the traction-wheels of the vehicle, a gear-wheel 12, secured to the loose member of said clutch, hand-levers conveniently accessible to the occupant of the vehicle, a frame secured to the body-frame forward of the main shaft, and suitable mechanism mounted on said frame and connected with said hand-levers for operating the said clutch and friction bands, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I affixmy signature, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, at Cleveland, Ohio, September 10, 1900.

FRANK' B. STEARNS.

Witnesses:

EDMUND E. ALLYNE, P. J. WARDNER. 

